Alex DeBrincat
| birth_place = Farmington Hills, Michigan | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 7 | weight_lb = 165 | shoots = Right | draft = 39th overall | draft_team = Chicago Blackhawks | draft_year = 2016 | career_start = TBD | career_end = }} Alex DeBrincat (born Alexander DeBrincat on December 18, 1997) is an American ice hockey player who currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) He was selected as the 39th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Blackhawks. Playing Career Junior Prior to his career in the OHL, Alex spent two years playing high school hockey at Lake Forest Academy where he had 54 goals & 111 points in 50 games. He also played for Victory Honda's youth program. On April 29, 2014, he signed with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League as a free agent and would join the club for the 2014–15 season. He appeared in his first career OHL game on September 24, 2014, and scored his first goal against Nikita Serebryakov of the Saginaw Spirit in a 7-1 win. On November 7, 2014, Alex scored his first career hat trick in a 5-2 win over the Sarnia Sting. In his final regular season game on March 22, he scored a goal and added five assists for a six-point game as the Otters defeated the Niagara IceDogs 8-7. Alex finished the season with 51 goals and 104 points in 68 games, and led all OHL rookies in goals, assists and points. In the postseason, he had nine goals and 16 points in 20 games, as the Otters lost to the Oshawa Generals in the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals. He won the Emms Family Award (which is awarded to the OHL Rookie of the Year) and was named the CHL Rookie of the Year. He also was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team, and the OHL Second All-Star Team. In the 2016-17 season, Alex led the OHL in scoring with 65 goals and added 62 assists in 63 regular-season games. He matched a league record with a 19-game goal-scoring streak, becoming the first American-born player to reach the 50-goal mark in three consecutive OHL seasons. He is also the Erie Otters' all-time leading goal-scorer and the top American goal scorer in OHL history. In May of 2017, Alex was named the 2016-17 recipient of the Red Tilson Trophy which is awarded to the most outstanding player in the OHL. Professional After playing for three seasons with the Otters, Alex made the Blackhawks out of training camp at the start of the 2017-18 season. He made his NHL debut on October 5, 2017 in a 10-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. On October 10, 2017, he scored his first NHL goal in a game against the Montreal Canadiens on goaltender Carey Price. On November 27, Alex recorded his first NHL hat trick against the Anaheim Ducks making him the second youngest Blackhawks player to score a hat trick (behind Jeremy Roenick by four days). On January 25, 2018, he scored his second hat trick of the season against the Detroit Red Wings to cinch a 5–1 win in his home state of Michigan. By doing so, he became the youngest Blackhawks player to record two regular season hat tricks in one season, as well as the first rookie to do so since Steve Larmer in the 1982-83 NHL season. On March 18, 2018, Alex recorded his third career hat trick on March 18, 2018, against the St. Louis Blues. With his third hat trick in his rookie season, he set a new Blackhawks rookie record and tied Tony Granato for the most hat tricks by a U.S born rookie in a season. The following day, he became the youngest Blackhawks player to be awarded the Blackhawks Player of the Year Award. He concluded his debut season with 52 points (including a team-high 28 goals). Alex surpassed his career high in goals, assists, and points during the 2018–19 season. He primarily skated on the Blackhawks' second line alongside with his longtime friend and former Otters' teammate Dylan Strome (whom the Blackhawks acquired in November). On February 18, 2019, Alex recorded his fourth career hat trick and two assists in a 8–7 win against the Ottawa Senators; this was the first five point night in his career. Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs International International Play }} Alex was named to Team USA in the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships in Helsinki, Finland. He was injured in a game against Sweden, but recovered quick enough to net a vital goal against the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. He ended the tournament with 1 goal in 5 games to help Team USA clinch Bronze. After the end of his rookie season with the Blackhawks, Alex was named to the Team USA roster to compete at the 2018 IIHF World Championship. where he contributed with 9 point in 10 games to help the United States claim the Bronze Medal in Denmark. The following year, he returned to the World Championship as he was named to Team USA roster to compete at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, held in Bratislava and Kosice, Slovakia. Accolades Personal Life Alex attended Harrison High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan for one season before transferring to Lake Forest Academy, a school known for their athletics. He has an older brother named Andrew, who also played hockey for Lake Forest Academy for two seasons before graduating in 2012. Category:1997 births Category:American ice hockey players Category:Chicago Blackhawks players Category:Erie Otters players Category:Chicago Blackhawks draft picks Category:American ice hockey forwards